OTTAWA, Nov. 3, 2016 /CNW/ - As the federal review of the post office prepares to wrap up its consultation phase, postal workers took the Liberals to task for a skewed consultation process and a task force report containing multiple factual errors and omissions.

"The situation of our post office is being gravely misrepresented to the public," Mike Palecek, the national president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, told the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates on November 3rd.

Following the previous government's unpopular cuts to postal service, the Liberals announced a public review of the post office. CUPW made detailed submissions to the government's Task Force, calling for improved services and the introduction of postal banking to increase Canada Post's revenues. However, the final report issued by the Task Force downplayed the union's proposals for service expansion and postal banking, despite its own polling showing that postal banking would be supported by many Canadians.

CUPW also noted that the report inaccurately portrayed the financial status of Canada Post and relied upon "unsupported speculation" to create the false impression that cuts are necessary.

The online consultation subsequently launched by a parliamentary committee made no mention of service expansion and included leading questions about taxpayers' money subsidizing the post office when in fact Canada Post has mostly been profitable for the past two decades.

"Canadians might be being groomed to accept yet more cuts to the post office," cautioned Palecek. "This isn't over. We all need to keep up the pressure on the Liberal government to act in the public interest and improve postal services."

SOURCE Canadian Union of Postal Workers

For further information: please contact Aalya Ahmad, CUPW Communications, at aahmad@cupw-sttp.org or 613-327-1177